Supporting Adolescents with RO DBT: What to do while the adaptation is in development

We know there’s a great deal of anticipation around the adolescent adaptation of the RO DBT skills manual. Many of you have reached out to ask when it will be available and how best to support younger clients in the meantime. We’re pleased to confirm that development is well underway, led by a small team of senior RO clinicians working closely with Dr. Lynch. Whilst we’re aiming for a publication date in late 2026, we wanted to share some guidance on how you can effectively use the existing skills manual with adolescents until the adaptation is ready.

Why an Adolescent Adaptation?

Adolescents struggling with problems of overcontrol, social isolation, perfectionism and rigidity in thinking and behaviours can benefit enormously from the principles and skills of RO DBT. However, developmental differences mean that young people engage best when the material is age-appropriate, engaging, and tailored to their unique experiences.

The adolescent adaptation will also include brand-new chapters exploring the developmental journey from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood. These chapters are designed to help both clinicians and young people understand how emotional and social development unfolds across these stages, and how overcontrol may present differently at different ages. In addition to these developmental insights, the adaptation will feature two newly developed skills—one focused on teasing and another on navigating social media—both of which address key challenges faced by adolescents today. The original RO DBT skills are also being updated, with clarified language and refined concepts to reflect the latest thinking in the model. By placing adolescent experiences within a broader developmental context, the manual aims to support more targeted, age-sensitive interventions, while reinforcing the idea that the skills learned in RO DBT are part of a lifelong process of growth, openness, and psychological flexibility.

While the core principles of RO DBT remain the same, the upcoming adaptation will reflect several key modifications to better suit the adolescent developmental stage:

• Simplified Vocabulary: Language will be adjusted to ensure clarity and accessibility, helping teens engage more confidently with the material.
• Shorter Sessions: Recognizing the time pressures on today’s adolescents, lesson times will be streamlined without compromising the integrity of the material.
• Fewer Lessons: The overall number of sessions will be reduced to make the program more feasible within school terms or youth programme schedules.
• Updated Media: New videos will be added that are more age-appropriate and relatable for younger audiences.

What to Do in the Meantime

We know many clinicians and educators are eager to begin working with adolescents using RO DBT principles now, and you may be wondering how best to proceed while the adaptation is in development.

Here’s the guidance from the team currently developing the adolescent manual:

• Use the existing RO DBT skills manual: This remains the best foundation for skills training, even with younger clients. No additional adolescent-specific worksheets or handouts are available at this time, and we strongly advise against creating your own.
• Avoid unauthorized media: While it might be tempting to supplement sessions with additional videos or handouts, please proceed with caution. Materials not specifically chosen by our writing team may unintentionally introduce concepts that conflict with or dilute the RO model. In particular, many popular adolescent-focused therapy resources carry implicit assumptions or approaches that are not in line with RO DBT’s core philosophy and principles.
• Focus on flexible teaching: One of the best strategies for working with adolescents using the current manual is to take a flexible, curious, and validating approach to language. If you’ve viewed the Blended Learning Skills Classes webinars, you’ll have seen Dr Lynch in action—modeling exactly how to introduce and adjust vocabulary in a light and non-threatening way. During class, he frequently checks for understanding and spontaneously substitutes alternative wording when necessary. This is exactly the approach we recommend for clinicians using the existing manual with teens.

Looking Ahead

We’re excited by the progress being made, and grateful to the team who are investing their time and energy into this important work. The adolescent adaptation of the RO DBT manual is designed to be practical, engaging, and grounded in evidence-based RO DBT principles—while recognizing the unique needs of young people.

In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and your commitment to maintaining fidelity to the model. The best way to support adolescents using RO DBT right now is by thoughtfully and flexibly applying the current manual, while avoiding untested or improvised adaptations.

We’ll be sure to keep you posted on publication timelines as the project develops. Until then, thank you for being part of our growing, global RO DBT community!